Hard to believe we were back where we started this whole trip three weeks ago. Colorado did not disappoint with the beautiful sunset it gave us the first night we were there. The first day, we visited Garden of the Gods and then went to Cave of the Winds to give the kids some more adventure. On the following days we visited a mine, took a train ride and ended our time in CO with a sweet visit to some dear friends.
This sunset was right outside our tiny house. Absolutely beautiful.
Garden of the Gods is in Colorado Springs, CO.
Once again, my big strong man.
The kids loved creeping in and out of the this rock.
And some preferred to just climb to the top of it!
So strong these boys are!
Found an arch!
The contrast of some of these rocks was pretty cool.
Some of them just looked like they were reaching for the sky.
The angelic one?
We saw quite a few rock climbers in the park that day. Cool but not for me 😏
Balanced Rock.
We didn't let the kids know but we had planned a trip to Cave of the Winds which was right down the street from Garden of the Gods. It was a cool take for the kids to get some energy out doing a few fun obstacle courses.
Ready for adventure!
Practicing to climb at Garden of the Gods maybe!
They could climb on each side and see each other through the glass so they raced each other.
She was a great climber!
I was so proud of Jonas. This was a high course and some parts were tough. I wasn't sure how he would do and he nailed it!
Caleb making it to the top of Geronimo Leap.
Hannah is not a fan of heights so she made it to about the 4th one before she looked down and decided that was it. But I was proud of her for gearing up and giving it her best shot. She ended up climbing the rock wall for a really long time and she did it like a boss!
Caleb walking across the rolling log...over a canyon. I could barely film it!
The next day, we were a little early for our mining tour so while we waited, we went to visit a ghost town that Dave had read about nearby. It was certainly a ghost town. From what we gathered it used to be a mining town but many left when the mining stopped. Some people still live there but it is certainly the back hills of Colorado. It was a really cool to see.
Between 1910-1930, the population went from 650 people to 75 people. Today's current population: a few.
This was the school in the town.
Storefront.
Some of the buildings had really seen better days.
It was interesting to imagine what each building was or who lived there and what it was like when they had to move on and leave.
It's hard to see in this picture, but at the bottom center is a pile of dirt. You saw these piles all over the mountains as places where people dug or mined.
Despite the shape of the town, there was "Ghost Town Disc Golf". That course was hopping with people playing! We thought that was funny. Middle. Of. Nowhere.
This was a little more intense than Minecraft. It was amazing to see the abandoned mining equipment all over the town.
Saw this and immediately thought of the show "Gold Rush".
Our tour guide was fantastic. He was so great with our kids and really knew his stuff so we learned A LOT about the job of mining!
Kiah did some panning while the older kids were on their tour.
She's got something!
There they are...paying for our trip! LOL
When you got to the end of your panning, you could suction up all the gold flakes into a bag. They also each received a piece of topaz to take home.
My young miners.
This cart held one ton of rocks and had to be pushed out manually. It would take 4 miners to get this out of the mine. And we learned that the miners started as young as 6 or 7 years old. 😳
And we had some fun with the wildlife while we were at the mine.
This bird is called a Stellar Jay. So pretty. The same birds come around to the mine all the time apparently. This one, if you threw a peanut up into the sky, would dive down from the tree and grab it and take it to a branch and sit and eat it. We may or may not have fed it quite a few peanuts while we were there.
A Nuthatch.
This is called a Clark's Nutcracker. Super pretty and super sharp beak. I always think it's so neat to see different kinds of birds living in different parts of the country.
And you know Hannah got in the action to feed the wildlife. Actually, she is the reason I enjoy seeing birds so much. She loves it and I have learned a lot from her about them.
On our last full day, we had planned a train ride and a visit with friends. We had some time between the two things so we drove by the Denver Mint. We knew awhile back we wouldn't be able to visit or do the tour because of COVID but it was still cool to see one of the mints where the money is made....well, not right now apparently. We also visited a place called Red Rock which has a super cool amphitheater where they hold concerts...again, not right now.
A train ride at Georgetown Loop Railway.
My girls.
Oh that smile. For a four year old on the road for 3 weeks, this girl held up so well. She certainly had her moments is she was hungry or tired, but for the most part, wow. She really rolled with the punches, peed in some crazy places (because she doesn't like port-o-potties or automatic flushes), slept anywhere we put her at night and kept up with her big kids whenever possible. She is a professional road tripper in my book!
It wasn't a super exciting take compared to some other things we did but it was a nice, peaceful ride with some beautiful views of the mountains. Probably what we needed at the end of our trip.
"Show me the money!"
Red Rock Park
Wouldn't it be cool to see a concert here?!?!
Apparently the acoustics are really cool here with all the rocks around you.
I was surprised to see that this park was completed by 1941. It had certainly seen some big names play there.
I liked how all the rocks jetted out toward the theater area.
It was super special to visit with these sweet friends - The Thorson family. It was like the cherry on top of our trip. They were kind enough to open up their home to us for dinner and a place to lay our head before we left the next day.
This picture makes me so happy. These kids don't really remember but some of them actually hung out often while their parents played games late into the night. They all warmed up to each other rather quickly and had a great time hanging out. Crazy how old they all are!
All good things must come to an end...
I can hardly believe our trip has come to an end. This was our view from the plane ride home with the sunset behind us. It was bittersweet to leave but we take home with us much more than souvenirs. There were so many great memories made for our family and I am so incredibly happy we took the plunge and went on this trip. I have no regrets and am grateful to God for taking care of all the details, both big and small. He was so gracious to us our entire trip.
Thank you to all of you for following along with us and enjoying the journey with our family. Thank you for your prayers along the way as well. We could feel them and see them answered the entire way.
Until our next adventure...😀
